Online Reporter
China on Monday pointed out that taking an appeasement approach in trade deals with the US over its “reciprocal tariffs” does not bring “peace” and said it firmly opposes any deal between the US and its trading partners that comes at the expense of Chinese interests.
Chinese analysts noted that the reported move by Washington is hegemonic in nature and an attempt to suppress China. However, they pointed out that the US is unlikely to attract too many followers for this initiative.
In response to a question regarding media reports that said the US is preparing to pressure other countries to restrict trade ties with China in exchange for tariff exemptions, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) stated on Monday that under the guise of so-called “reciprocity,” the US has been recently arbitrarily imposing tariffs on all its trading partners while pressuring them to engage in so-called “reciprocal tariff” negotiations.
China firmly opposes any deal between the US and its trading partners that comes at the expense of Chinese interests, the MOFCOM spokesperson said.
“This is essentially using the banner of ‘reciprocity’ as a pretext to pursue hegemonic politics and unilateral bullying in the field of international economy and trade,” the spokesperson said.
“Appeasement does not bring peace, compromise does not lead to respect, and attempts to trade the interests of others for tariff exemptions are doomed to fail and will ultimately harm all parties involved.”
The Wall Street Journal reported the US administration’s plans on April 15, citing people with knowledge of the conversations. The report said that “the idea is to extract commitments from US trading partners to isolate China’s economy in exchange for reductions in trade and tariff barriers imposed by the White House.”
The BBC reported on Monday that the Trump administration has started talks with trading partners over tariffs, with a Japanese delegation visiting Washington last week and South Korea scheduled to begin talks this week. – Global Times
